This is the one drill – with or without the impact bag – that gets me the quickest and most enduring results when I use it consistently.

What are those results?

  • I flush the ball on the regular.
  • My dispersion gets way better. I start the ball on my line and in my intended window.
  • The ball goes higher and farther.
  • I score better and my handicap drops.

The basic version, which I got from a George Gankas video, doesn’t include an impact bag but is still very effective.

I still do reps at the range or on the tee box. I just drop a ball, use a cart tire, or a tee marker for my reference point on the ground.

I added in the impact bag to make it more dynamic. This produced the benefit of putting me in an ideal impact position and lets me feel what that is like while experiencing impact.

It’s the perfect drill to do indoors at home, where you can get tons of reps and ingrain it so much quicker than if you needed a place to hit a ball.

FYI – There’s a version of this drill where you take abbreviated swings and hit balls. It’s meant to make sure you turn through and clear your hips and not flip your hands at the ball; you’ll hit yourself in the ribs with the alignment stick if you do. (Very frustrating at first)

Materials Needed

  • Alignment rod
  • Golf club
  • Impact Bag
  • Golf ball (if you don’t have an impact bag)

The Drill With & Without an Impact Bag

  1. Grip your club with an alignment rod about halfway down the shaft.
  2. Address the ball with the alignment rod resting on your left side.
  3. Start your backswing in one piece, making sure to keep the clubhead outside your hands and the butt of the club pointing between the ball and you.
  4. Coil into your right hip. You won’t be able to turn as far, and that is ok – preferable even.
  5. Hold there for 5 – 10 seconds.
  6. Slowly turn into impact position. Make sure to maintain your side bend.
  7. Repeat 10 times.

With An Impact Bag

  1. Repeat steps 1 – 5.
  2. Swing down into the impact bag at slightly less than half speed, maintaining your side bend.
  3. Repeat 10 times.

Starting Position (With Ball & With Impact Bag)

I’m holding a 7-iron for this drill, and I have the bag just forward of the center of my stance, my normal position for a 7-iron.

The Most Important Part of The Drill

The butt of the club is well inside the impact bag (or ball if that’s what you’re using), which assures my hands have gone back on a nice tight arc and haven’t wandered away.

The clubhead remains outside my hands.
I haven’t swayed, and I’m loaded into my right hip.
My arm structure is good to go and not sloppy.
I’m ready to transition into my downswing.

Impact

Golfer Geek at Impact in his favorite swing drill

I’m at impact here.

I’m in a good sidebend, pivoted around my lead leg, and kept my starting arm structure intact. My wrists haven’t broken down, so I’m delivering a powerful blow to the “ball.”

I love this part of the drill.

Here it is with a driver halfway down.

Now at impact

Impact with a driver

The beauty of this drill, other than how effective it is, is that it can be done anywhere.

I work from home and the first thing I do in the morning is pull out my 7-iron and alignment rod. (The impact bag is always in it’s place).

I break once an hour and hit reps with this drill – among a couple of other drills and moves.

I’ve got tons of training aids and tons of golf training, and they’re great. But, this drill is my meat & potatoes. When I get this right, and many things in my golf swing fall into place.

Give it a shot and let me know what you think. I would be very surprised if you don’t see similar results.